Last year was my first year of snowboarding. I love it and can't wait till I can ride again. I've been watching a lot of YouTube videos to hold me over. The one thing I don't get is the fun in tree runs. Seems to me that it's a pain in the ass.

First off, if they don't look like fun for you, don't do them. There's no obligation to do anything in order to be a "real" snowboarder. Second and more important, if you've just finished your first season, you may just not be there yet. My first season, I swore I'd never be interested in park, and probably wouldn't hit jumps. Now I'm starting to do both because I've reached that point. But if you don't, no biggie.

The allure of riding trees is that it's very challenging and extremely fun if done right. Conditions and terrain also have to be right in order to really experience trees the right way (has to be fresh to semi-fresh powder, with moderate to steep slope).

From the perspective of a beginner, tree are a pain in the ass because you are just sticking to simple groomers and having fun with that. As you progress however, groomers suddenly become boring and you want more and more challenging things to ride. As you gain more board control, making quick decisions and sudden turns allows you to tackle trees properly rather then just heading into a glade and going "Oh Shit!". Once you get good enough, you can spot a glade or open forest and bomb through it, banking turns around trees and bombing through tight spaces.

For me theres nothing quite like it, trees are pretty much all I ride if I can help it (my mountain has at least 1200 acres of ridable trees). It adds a very technical element to surfing pow, making pow that much better.

I also love trees because they hide secret stashes of powder most people are too scared to get

Its totally understandable that you would like trees your first season. Youre gonna be slamming on the breaks every 8 feet, falling down and getting stuck. I didnt like trees until I was good enough to make smooth, fast lines in them. I agree with what most people said. But I will add that for me, some of the allure is due to the adventure of making your own route. (warning: cant tell you how many times Ive ended up in flat deep snow in new terrain) It definately has to be fresher snow or else its not worth it but the trees arent going to be tracked out as fast. Also, it has to be deep enough to have the bottomless feel. dust on the crust doesnt cut it for me. I like mine to to a little more spread out (aspens), just becuase I can go faster but tighter trees are fun too.

PS. MPD, you are crazy. those trees are crazy dense. jacket killers. props to you though.

It's mostly about the powder for me. Less people go into the trees which meens more fresh stuff for me. Linking turns between nicely spaced trees is the best thing in the world, but the powder is the main reason.